Thank you for visiting the Assisted Housing Department, where you will find information on the HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER Program (Section 8) as well as information on applying to our public housing complexes.

Assisted Housing:

Need Information?

1. What is the Section 8 Program?
2. How does Section 8 Work?
3. How does a Section 8 Voucher work?
4. How is an eligible Section 8 program participant selected?
5. Does the landlord property have to be inspected??
6. When can a landlord expect to receive full rent for the Section 8 unit?
7. How about more information ?
8. Where can I get more help?

What is the Section 8 Program?

The Section 8 Program is a federal rent subsidy that assists low-income households with monthly rental payments.  
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How does Section 8 Work?

The Authority administers funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and distributes them in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers to eligible families and individuals. A voucher allows program participants to rent housing that meets their needs at a price they can afford.
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How does a Section 8 Voucher work?

All eligible families are required to pay at least 30 percent (but no more than 40 percent initially) of their monthly-adjusted income toward rent directly to the landlord. The Tampa Housing Authority pays the landlord the diffence between the Contract Rent and the tenant’s portion. A tenant must find housing within 120 days or risk losing the voucher.  
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How is an eligible Section 8 program participant selected?

The Tampa Housing Authority reviews the eligibility of the participant(s) based on household income and family composition. The landlord is responsible for screening the occupants for the rental unit and must follow federal, state and local equal opportunity laws.  
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Does the landlord property have to be inspected?

Yes. When you submit the request for tenancy approval, you will also request that a Housing Quality Standards (H.Q.S.) inspection be performed. This inspection is required to make sure that the unit meets the housing quality standards set by HUD and the Tampa Housing Authority, before the subsidy can begin. If there are any failed items discovered during the inspection, you will be notified in writing what they are. You will be given a deadline to make the repairs. The subsidy will not begin until the unit meets all of the H.Q.S. requirements, and no retroactive payments may be made for the time period before the unit passes inspection.  
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When can a landlord expect to receive full rent for the Section 8 unit?

Once the unit has passed the H.Q.S. inspection, the final steps will be the signing of the Housing Assistance Payments Contract. After the case documents have been reviewed and processed you will receive a contract from us stating what the tenant will be responsible for paying, and what the amount of the subsidy that we will be responsible for paying. The owner must provide a copy of the signed lease and must attach the Section 8 addendum to the lease. The participant is expected to pay his or her portion of the rent directly to the landlord by the first of each month, as stated in the lease. The Tampa Housing Authority portion of the rent will be mailed directly to the landlord during the first week of each month.  
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Where can I get more help?

Contact our Customer Service Department at (813) 253-0551 x200 for more information. 
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Waitlist Information

History

The waitlist for Section 8 rental assistance was opened late October 2006 and over 10,000 families applied.  All families were placed on the applicant list based on a lottery system, and then are pulled from the list by local preferences. Those preferences are working, going to school, rent burdened, homeless, disabled, or living in substandard conditions.

Mailing Address

It is important that if there is a new mailing address, that it is reported to the office in person or in writing. Providing information over the phone will not be accepted, because this type of effort can not be tracked.

Emergency Assistance

The agency does not offer any type of emergency assistance. All families will be assisted from the waitlist by order of the lottery and preferences.  

When will I get assistance

The agency will not be able to predict when any applicant will receive assistance. The agency only has 5,209 vouchers to assist all of Hillsborough County. Therefore, in order to assist someone from the waitlist, someone must leave the Section 8 rental assistance program. We do however remove at least 50 families a month or 700 families a year from the Section 8 rental assistance program, and then pull that same amount from the waitlist.  Example: your number on the waitlist is 1,000, and if the agency assists 700 from the list, your position on the list should move up to 300. This may fluctuate due to some families may not be have a local preference and will be placed back on the list. When a family is called in to determine their eligibility, we also have to determine and ensure that family meets the preference and if that family can not prove their preference, they then go back on the list. So if your number was 25 at one point, and then we placed somebody back on the list, it may go to 26.

Notice of eligibility

When your name comes to the top of the list, you will be sent a written notification to either provide information or a notice of an appointment. You must attend the appointment or provide information in order to be considered for rental assistance. If 2 notices are sent without a response, your name will automatically be removed from the waitlist.

Informal Review

You will have the right to an informal review, but it must be sent in writing within 10 days of THA sending the notice to remove from the waitlist